Outcast (Moonlight Wolves Book 4) by Jasmine B. Waters (22)

“Leave me alone!” I screamed. “I’ll kill you!” I brandished the knife in front of me, waving the ancient blade in the air.

The man threw his head back and laughed. “You’ll do no such thing,” he growled in a low baritone. “You think of hurting a man with his own knife!”

I gasped in shock and tried to throw the athame behind me in the woods, but no matter how I tried, I couldn’t uncurl my fingers from the handle. My fist was locked, and I cried out in pain as I tried to pry my fingers off the smooth, cool surface.

“Enough,” the man growled. He grabbed my arm and yanked me closer. I tried to resist, but he was so strong; I knew I wouldn’t be able to fend him off. I tried waving my arm and moving the knife through the air, but suddenly my body was completely still.

“Good,” the man said. He closed his eyes and whispered a brief incantation under his breath. There was a large tree behind him, and the trunk began to glow with golden light. As I watched, a golden portal appeared on the bark of the tree. The man whispered something, tossed his head, then grabbed me and pulled me into the trunk of the massive oak.

The next thing I knew, I was falling. The weight was gone from my limbs, and I felt myself floating down, down, down through endless time and space. The man was gone – everything was gone. I was in a black void, drifting endlessly. There was no ground, no ceiling, no walls – nothing.

It was like being in space.

As I floated through the dark air, the panic began to seep from my veins. I could feel it being replaced with something warm and fuzzy, and it reminded me of being on hydrocodone after having my wisdom teeth taken out. I closed my eyes and sighed. The aching in my chest was starting to fade, and the burning in my legs from running so fast had already subsided.

‘This isn’t bad,’ I thought dreamily. ‘Maybe this is just a nightmare. Maybe I’m about to wake up.’ A huge yawn tore its way through my body, and I curled up, wrapping my arms around my knees and holding them to my chest. ‘Yeah, I must be asleep…that’s okay, I can sleep more,’ I decided. ‘Nothing is going to hurt me. I imagined everything. Elizabeth always says I’m too paranoid…yeah…that’s it…’

I fell asleep, soothed by the rocking motion of the infinite black space.

--

A drumming, rhythmic sound was piping around my brain like a giant subwoofer. My head ached. When I tried to rub my temples, I realized I couldn’t move my hands.

My eyes shot open. I gave a start in surprise. I was sitting on the floor in the middle of a giant circle of people. Men and women dressed in black robes were swaying around me with their arms held high in the air. They were ignoring me, chanting in unison. The sound of chanting and murmured song thrummed through the air, a giant engine of human vocal energy.

When I tried to move my lips to speak, I found that every motion, every movement was a struggle. Tears filled my eyes as the chanting grew louder and louder. A spicy, herbal smell filled my nose, and I looked around as columns of grey and blue smoke filled the room.

Suddenly, the chanting stopped. The old man who’d grabbed me stepped into the middle of the circle, holding his arms up high. The other men and women bowed their heads and closed their eyes. Somehow, the silence was even eerier than the chanting had been. The man trained his eyes on me and stepped closer. I tried to wriggle away as the other men and women parted in waves, murmuring in low, sinister tones.

The old man knelt down and picked me up with surprising ease. He hauled me into a standing position, then dipped his head in a slight bow. Chills ran down my spine as I realized I was now the focal point of everyone in the room. ‘What am I doing here? What do these people want with me?’ The thought kept racing through my mind, and I was powerless to stop it.

Some feeling was returning to my fingers and toes, and I could feel that I was coming off something powerful; it was like waking up from strong anesthesia. Still, I couldn’t do more than wriggle in the man’s grip. He held a bundle of fabric high in the air before whispering an unintelligible word and pushing the fabric over my head.

“I command you to be still,” the old man growled. Instantly, I froze. He yanked the fabric over my head, moving my limbs with a practiced ease that made me realize he’d performed this ritual before. The old man yanked the fabric out to its full length. I realized it was a bright red robe, made of some kind of rough, homespun material.

The men and women cried out in unison, a loud, guttural groan. The old man stepped back, bowed again, and then turned his attention to the crowd. When he spoke, it was an ancient-sounding and whispery language I’d never heard before. Whatever he was saying excited the men and women, and I saw their eyes blaze with fervent excitement. They rushed toward me. One of the men grabbed me by both arms and held me firmly in place, turning me around to face the crowd.

A hush came over the room once again. An old woman with long, white hair and skin as brown and wrinkled as a walnut stepped into the room. She was walking so smoothly that she almost seemed to be gliding over the floors. Unlike the other men and women, she was clad in all white, giving her the appearance of glowing in the dark. She held her hands in front of her, and her eyelids were half-closed.

The woman nodded at the old man. She moved toward me, moaning softly under her breath. Soon, she was so close that she could have kissed me. I was powerless to move as the woman raised her arm in the air and made a broad, sweeping gesture over my face. She closed her eyes and rolled her head around dramatically.

The man holding me made no sign of releasing me. The woman with the long, white hair lifted a brush to my face and started making small motions over my skin. It tickled, and I had the sudden urge to laugh. The room was silent and tense as the woman painted symbols on my skin.

“Henrik,” the woman hissed, “she is here. We can begin.”

The old man nodded. He seemed both excited and pleased. He made a sweeping gesture, and the crowd of men and women erupted into ecstatic applause.

‘What’s going to happen to me?’ I wondered in a dazed panic. ‘What are they going to do?’

The woman stared deeply into my eyes. “You will sleep now,” she said. “Sleep, vessel. Sleep.”

My mind, my thoughts – everything swirling around in my brain – began to slowly slip away, and I felt myself passing out.

Chapter Seven

When I woke up, my mouth was dry and woolly. My head was aching, and my heart was racing, like I’d come out of a nightmare.

There was a woman watching me. She was one of the women from the ritual I’d witnessed, clad in all black. I couldn’t guess her age; the dim lighting of the room and the austere robes she wore made her appear anywhere from fourteen to forty. When she saw that I was awake, she nodded and handed me a heavy silver plate. There was a slab of grilled meat, oozing blood, and a hunk of dark bread. The roasted scent of meat made me realize that I was truly hungry, but I hesitated.

“Is this safe?” I pointed to the meat and bread.

The woman narrowed her eyes but didn’t speak. After a few seconds, she gave a brief jerk of her head.

“Are you sure?”

The woman shoved the plate into my lap.

“Fine,” I muttered. My stomach rumbled. I picked up the hunk of bread and took a slow bite. It tasted alright – sweeter than I’d expected, but it was hard to chew. The woman hadn’t handed me a fork, so I lowered my head and picked up the piece of meat with one hand. It smelled different – it obviously wasn’t beef or lamb – but it tasted good. I chewed slowly in an attempt to savor my meal, but when I looked down at the plate, I saw it was empty.

“Is there any more?”

The woman didn’t say anything. She kept her eye on me as she sat down and leaned against the wall. We were in a dark room with no windows and a dim, ethereal light that seemed to glow from the ceiling. It was cold and damp, though – almost like a cellar.

The sound of voices floated into the room, and seconds later, a door opened. The old man who had grabbed me in the forest walked in. He snapped his fingers, and the woman who fed me got up and scrambled away.

“Don’t touch me,” I hissed. I stood up, and the silver plate went clattering to the floor. The sound made me wince – everything in the small room seemed amplified.

The man snorted. “I won’t hurt you, child,” he said. “That is not why you were brought to the Coven.”

Hearing the word ‘coven’ made everything click. Obviously, I’d been taken by a warlock. But I shivered at the knowledge that something truly supernatural was happening to me. I pinched my arm, hoping to wake.

“This isn’t a dream,” the man said. “You are a witch. You are now a member of the Coven.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I’m not,” I said. “You kidnapped me.”

The man laughed. “It was your time,” he said. “Come. Are you telling me that you hadn’t taken notice of everything around you?”

My heart sank. “You mean the cows,” I said. “And the break-ins. That was you.”

The man smiled menacingly, baring white teeth. “It was not me,” he said disdainfully. “But rather someone who did my bidding.” He licked his lips.

“I don’t want to be here,” I said unsteadily. My voice trembled. “I want to go home. I need to go home.”

“This is your home.” The man stepped closer. “I am Henrik. I am the High Priest.”

“I don’t really care who you are,” I said tartly. “I want to go home!”

Henrik threw his head back and laughed. “You’re a silly little girl,” he said dismissively. “You are in an enviable position, my dear. Most enviable.”

“Yeah,” I snapped. “I bet every girl in Jaffrey wishes that some creepy asshole would kidnap her.”

Henrik shook his head. “Come here,” he said. “You will understand.”

I watched as Henrik took an athame out of his pocket – the very same knife I’d found in the woods – and drew three lines on the wall in the shape of a square with the floor as the base. He muttered a few words to the knife, then tapped it inside of the box. Instantly, hot flames sprung out of the wall. I gasped loudly as the wall shifted into a full fireplace in front of my very eyes, complete with black kettle and a roasting rack.

Henrik reached into the pocket of his robes and grabbed a handful of herbs. He threw them at the fireplace and clapped his hands. A cloud of green-colored smoke unfurled around me, and I started coughing and coughing until I felt like I would expel my lungs.

“Watch,” Henrik said in a low voice. He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me close to the roaring fire until my face was burning hot.

I squinted and stared, but I didn’t see anything.

“You will see,” Henrik said. His voice floated around me, wrapping me tightly in a cloud of dark promise. As I stared into the blaze, an image began to take shape in front of me. Two girls were sitting on the floor, playing with an Ouija board. I gasped in horror as I recognized a flicking silhouette of myself seated beside Andrea D’Amico.

“Monica, nothing’s happening,” Andrea whined. Her pale, heart-shaped face puckered with regret and dissatisfaction. “I’m leaving. This is so dumb!”

“Wait!” Monica grabbed her wrist. “No, don’t go. I promise, sometimes it just takes some time.”

Andrea looked at her suspiciously. “I don’t believe you,” she said slowly. “My mom says this stuff is bad,” she said quietly. “Like, we’re worshipping the devil.”

“There is no devil,” Monica said. “Don’t be so dramatic. Do you want to talk to your aunt or not?”

Andrea swallowed. Her eyes were wide with fear, but she nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said. “Just one more time and then I give up, Monica. This is freaky!”

“It’s not freaky,” Monica said smugly. She put the tips of her finger on the planchette and moved the triangular object over the smooth surface of the Ouija board. “You just have to relax, Andrea.”

Andrea didn’t move. She glared down at the board, then looked at her hands. They were clasped tightly in her lap.

“I don’t know about this,” Andrea said slowly. “I…what if something happens?”

“Nothing can happen,” Monica said. She reached forward and grabbed Andrea’s wrists. “Give me your hands.”

Andrea squirmed, resisting. After a few seconds, she relaxed and allowed Monica to place her fingertips on the planchette. Monica closed her eyes and began moving her hands around the board in slow circles.

“Oh, spirits, we’ve come to talk with you,” Monica said in a hushed tone. “We’ve come to hear your teachings. Please guide us, help us understand the world you inhabit that is beyond the earthly veil.”

Andrea yanked one of her hands away. “No,” she said hotly. “I can’t do this, Monica! We’re talking to demons!”

“We’re not going to be talking to anyone unless you can shut up,” Monica hissed. “Stop being such a little brat!” She grabbed Andrea’s hand and placed it firmly on the planchette. “Relax and close your eyes. Your aunt will be here soon.”

Andrea licked her plump lips and obediently closed her eyes. Monica resumed swirling the planchette in slow, rhythmic circles across the board.

“Oh spirits, please guide me,” Monica whispered. “Please, help Andrea as she searches for her late aunt.”

“Aunt Sadie, I miss you,” Andrea said tearfully. “I miss you so much. I don’t have anyone to talk to now that you’re gone.”

“Sadie, come speak with your niece,” Monica said in a haunting voice. “She is desperate and thirsty for your guidance.”

The planchette slowed to a crawl. The hair on the back of Monica’s neck prickled and stood up as the planchette began to circle the letter ‘H.’ As the two girls watched, the plastic triangle moved over the letters ‘E,’ followed by two ‘L’s and one ‘O.’

“She’s here,” Monica said excitedly. “Now, you can ask her anything you want!”

“I’m scared,” Andrea whispered. “It feels like someone is watching us, Monica.”

“Don’t be silly,” Monica said. “She’ll go if you can’t think of anything to say. You’d better speak up.”

“Aunt Sadie, I’m so sorry I wasn’t there when you were sick,” Andrea said. “And I’m sorry for what I said.” She glanced up at Monica. “You know what I’m talking about, right?”

The planchette shot over to ‘yes.’

Andrea nodded quickly. “I’m so glad you’re here. I miss you so much,” she said.

“Sadie, give Andrea a sign,” Monica murmured. “Show her that you’re here. Show her that you care.”

“What are you doing?” Andrea hissed. “Aunt Sadie, you don’t have to listen!”

“Sadie, show Andrea and me that you’re in the room with us,” Monica said softly. Her brown eyes glowed as they fixed upon the board and planchette. “Make us believe your magic.”

A sudden, loud thumping sound in the room made both girls jump. Andrea bit her lip and fearfully looked all around, her eyes as wide as saucers. Monica kept her hands lightly touching the planchette. Her eyes were closed.

“Sadie, show Andrea your love,” Monica hissed toward the board. “Show her that you know what it means to be persecuted for what you believe.”

Andrea glared at Monica. “What the heck are you talking about?”

The thumping sound grew louder. Monica smiled serenely. “She’s in the closet,” Monica said quietly. She jerked her head toward a door with a bolt. “Why don’t you go see her, Andrea?”

Andrea stared at Monica. Her face was pale, and she shook her head.

“I’m scared, Monica,” Andrea whispered.

“Tell us that you’re here, Sadie,” Monica hissed.

An unearthly wail floated through the room. It sounded like it was coming from inside the locked closet. As Monica and Andrea stared at the door, it began to thump and groan against the metal deadbolt. Wood splinters flew across the room as the door jerked against its restraints.

Andrea shrieked. She yanked her hands away from the planchette and covered her mouth. “Make it stop!” Andrea screamed. “Make it stop!”

The door burst open, and a gust of cold wind blew across the room. Andrea screamed as the wind whipped her hair and stung her face. She shrieked and shrieked, crying hysterically and rocking back and forth.

“Andrea, calm down,” Monica said. She smiled unpleasantly, and Andrea gasped at the sight of her friend’s face. Where Monica’s face had been youthful and free of wrinkles, now she looked like a wizened old crone. Monica threw her head back and began to laugh as the wind intensified. It whipped all around the two girls, scattering dust and the planchette. The Ouija board flapped and closed and skidded along the dusty floor.

A high-pitched, eerie voice filled the room. “Andrea…Andrea…I’m coming for you, Andrea. I’m coming to make you pay for your sins.”

Andrea screamed. She got to her feet and ran down the attic stairs, her feet thumping loudly on the steps. Monica sat there, watching her go. Her smile slowly faded, and her features returned to normal.

“You have seen,” Henrik drawled. He pulled me away from the fire. My heart was racing, and my skin was clammy and cold.

“I didn’t do that,” I protested. “That wasn’t me! You’re messing with my memory!”

“I’m doing no such thing,” Henrik said softly. He shook his head. “You just don’t remember.”

“I think I’d remember that!” My eyes filled with tears, and I shook my head. I was suddenly exhausted again, even though it felt like I’d been sleeping for days.

“You remember differently, a modified memory,” Henrik said quietly. He waved his hand over the fireplace, and the flames vanished. I gasped as the wall returned to normal. Within just a few seconds, it was impossible to tell that a fire had been in the place at all.

“That didn’t happen,” I said. As I tried to comb through my brain and recall the true memory, I was frustrated to realize that my mind felt veiled and obscured. I felt like I could put my finger on exactly what had happened, but when I went to reach for the words, they weren’t there.

“Then what did happen?” Henrik crossed his arms over his chest and laughed. For a moment, he looked almost youthful. “Tell me, Monica. Tell me what really happened.”

I closed my eyes. ‘Think, Monica, think! Remember what happened that day!’

“I can’t!” I wailed.

Henrik’s eyes blazed with fire. He put his hands on my shoulders and leaned in close, pressing his forehead to mine.

“Recall on your own,” Henrik said in a low growl. “You are stronger than this. You have power, Monica – very strong power, albeit untrained.”

Tears of frustration welled in my eyes and dripped down my cheeks. “I can’t!”

“Think harder!” Henrik thundered. “Try harder!”

“Andrea’s aunt died,” I said. “She…she said that she missed her. My friend, Elizabeth, told Andrea that I could help. I think she was just kidding, but Andrea really believed her.”

“And then what happened?”

“I…I don’t know,” I said. “All I remember is Andrea ran out of my house and ratted me out to her stupid parents. They called Jamie and Brian and told them I’d screwed with their daughter.”

Henrik’s lips curled into a smile. “So, you don’t remember, do you?”

“I know it wasn’t that!” I said hotly. “I never would have done anything to frighten Andrea!”

Henrik laughed. The sound sent chills down my spine, and I glanced down at my hands twisting nervously in my lap.

“You don’t respect Andrea,” Henrik said. He kept smiling uneasily. “That much is clear. You wanted to frighten her. Admit it: you wanted her to be afraid of you.” He nodded his head up and down. “Yes, Monica. You wanted Andrea to know that you’re powerful. You wanted her to know that you have something special, something sacred.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re a witch, Monica,” Henrik said. “You’re a descendent of the most powerful witch in all of New England – a witch who escaped death more than once.”

My heart thudded against my ribs.

Henrik leaned in close and grabbed my shoulder. His breath tickled my ear, and a cold chill ran down my spine.

“You have a history of getting your way, don’t you?” Henrik breathed. “You can’t handle the idea of being similar to everyone else; you have to be different.”

“That’s not true!” I swallowed. “I don’t care about that!”

“It’s obvious that you do,” Henrik said. His placid, serene smile was giving me the creeps, and I wished more than anything that I was home alone.

“You don’t believe me,” Henrik added. “But you will.” He leaned closer still until his lips were mere inches away from my ear. “Temperare inferiorem te esse.”

“What?” I pulled away and narrowed my eyes. “What does that even mean?”

Henrik’s eyes flashed. He whispered the same phrase, over and over, until the words sounded like gibberish. Instinctively, I knew to close my eyes.

A horrifying vision played out on the inside of my eyelids. A huge mob hurled angry epithets. Women dressed in long robes were tied to flaming stakes. Three of them were screaming and wailing with pain as the flames licked and shot up their bodies. The fourth woman was smiling serenely. As the fire reached her chest, she opened her mouth and began to cackle and laugh. There was a loud, angry cheer from the mob, and the woman smiled before opening her mouth and screaming.

The scent of singed flesh and hair filled my nostrils, and I coughed and gagged, trying to clear the smoke away. The crowd was roaring now, demanding blood and revenge. The three screaming women had silenced, and the flames were now licking around their disfigured, melted faces. But the fourth woman was still wailing and shrieking. The ropes binding her to the stake broke and melted, and she fell onto the burning kindling below.

“Temperare inferiorem te esse!” the woman screamed. “Temperare inferiorem te esse!”

My eyes flashed open. I felt dazed and exhausted as I stared into Henrik’s eyes.

“Control those weaker than yourself,” I said softly. “That’s what you just said.”

Henrik nodded wisely. “And now, you understand.”

Chapter Eight

Elizabeth

The next morning, I told Mom and Aidan that I was sick.

“She’s not!” Aidan said. He frowned and pointed his finger at me, suddenly looking much younger than his thirteen years. “She’s faking!”

Mom sighed. “Honey, Elizabeth is going through a lot right now, and we have to be supportive,” she said. I could tell she didn’t believe me, though.

“I’m just so tired,” I said. I faked a yawn, covering my open mouth with both hands. “I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

“Yeah,” Aidan said. His eyes flashed mischievously. “You were up all night, talking to Steven!”

“Aidan!” Mom and I hissed at the time same.

Mom turned to me. “Who’s Steven?”

“Andrea’s brother,” I said wearily. “And no, brat. For your information, I was up all night worrying about my best friend.”

Mom reached out and put her hand to my forehead. “Okay,” she said softly. “You can stay home, Elizabeth. I know things are difficult for you right now.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Just promise you’ll go to school tomorrow.”

I nodded, crossing my fingers behind my back. I didn’t know what I’d do if David and I didn’t find Monica. I had no idea where we were even going to start looking.

“Okay, honey,” Mom said. She pulled me close and kissed my forehead. “I’m going to drop Aidan off on the way into work. I should be home at the normal time tonight. Your father’s working late – again,” she added under her breath, “but I hope we can all have dinner together.”

I nodded and tried to look as sick as I could while I waited for Mom and Aidan to leave. They took a surprisingly long time, and I went upstairs to lie in bed until the front door slammed shut.

As soon as Mom was gone, I raced out the door and started jogging along the main road until I reached the grounds of our school. A beat-up, blue Oldsmobile was parked, rumbling like mufflers had never been invented. I almost groaned when I saw David behind the wheel. His black hair had grown even longer, and his dark sunglasses obscured the whole upper half of his face. When he saw me, he leaned on the horn.

I cringed. “I saw you,” I said through gritted teeth as I climbed into the passenger seat of his decrepit car. “You didn’t have to honk.”

David smirked. “You look a bit distracted,” he said.

“No shit,” I muttered. “My best friend is missing. She could be dead.”

David shook his head. “Don’t say that.” He shoved the car into gear, and we pulled away from the school grounds with a jerk. I heard the ringing of the school bell as David drove off.

“So,” David said, “show me around. Where’s Monica?”

I buckled myself into the seat and looked out the window. “I don’t know,” I said hotly. “That’s why we’re looking.”

“I don’t know my way around here,” David snapped. He cut sharply to the left, and my head slammed against the window. “Tell me where she hangs out.”

I was already regretting my decision of calling David and having him come visit and help me look.

“There’s a lake outside of town. Monica and I used to go there a lot,” I said. ‘Before she met you,’ I amended silently in my head.

“Cool.” David shifted the car into a higher gear and pressed down on the gas. We shot down the main road of town, through the center and stores until I couldn’t see anything but grass and trees. The air had turned colder in the few days since Monica had vanished; I hated to admit it, but that didn’t exactly feel like a good omen.

The air between David and me was frosty, too. I shivered and wrapped my arms tightly around my body. David steered the car off the main road, and I directed him down the short dirt path to the lake.

When we climbed out of the car, I shivered again. Jaffrey Lake was beautiful, but in the fall, it looked deserted, like the setting of a horror movie. ‘Stop it. You’re being morbid,’ I told myself. But now that I’d started thinking horrible thoughts, they just kept coming.

“We should walk around, see if she’s hiding around here,” David said. He jerked his head to the side before loping off at a fast pace. I sighed and then broke into a trot to keep up.

“Slow down,” I called.

“We gotta search the whole town before the end of the day,” David said. “I gotta get back to Vermont tonight.”

I stopped dead in my tracks. “And what if we don’t find her? What then?”

David shrugged. “I dunno.”

I glared. “Some help you are,” I muttered. “I feel like everyone around here has gone crazy.”

David frowned. “Why?”

“Like her parents don’t even care that she’s gone,” I said hotly. “My mom called the police, but she thinks Monica was, like, I dunno…kidnapped or something. And she’s always trying to tell me that things are gonna be fine.”

David shrugged again. He turned on his heel and kept walking at a brisk pace. “They might be fine,” he said. “You don’t exactly know that for sure.”

“David, come on.” I stopped dead in my tracks and crossed my arms over my chest. “That’s fucked up.”

David sighed. “I know,” he mumbled. He balled his hands into fists and shoved them in his pockets. Although his sunglasses were still obscuring his vision, I could tell by the deep commas in his cheeks that he was depressed.

“We have to stay strong,” I said. “But we can’t just think everything is going to turn out fine because that’s easier.”

“I just…I can’t believe it,” David said. “Monica hates spontaneity. She hates going away from home. She made me drive her back from Vermont one time at three in the morning because my bed was too narrow.”

I laughed out loud. The story was so like Monica that my heart hurt. “I know,” I said softly. “She’s very particular.”

David and I resumed walking. I kept looking in the woods, watching for a flash of her blonde hair, but the only things I saw were trees and dead limbs on the ground.

“So,” I said quietly. “How was the party?”

“What?” David pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and squinted at me.

“The party on Friday,” I said. I rolled my eyes. “You know, the reason why you didn’t feel like coming here.”

David flushed. “Nothing,” he mumbled. “It was fine.”

I frowned. “What?”

“Nothing.” David glared at me. “Forget it.”

I scowled.

“I didn’t cheat on her, if that’s what you’re thinking,” David said. “I wouldn’t do that.”

“I didn’t think that,” I said quickly. “You just got so defensive!”

David sighed moodily. He raked a hand through his black hair. In the fall sunshine, his skin was so pale that it looked almost translucent.

We hiked around the lake three times. The second time, I thought I saw something floating in the water. But when I got closer to look, I realized it was just a piece of trash.

“She’s not here,” I said softly.

“Did you really think she would be?”

“No,” I said, too quietly for David to hear. “But I wanted her to be.”

David and I spent the rest of the day driving around Jaffrey. Around the time school let out, I had him drive me to my house so I could leave a note for my mom. I told her that I was feeling better, and that I’d gone out with Andrea. I knew she wouldn’t bother calling Mrs. D’Amico. Like the rest of Jaffrey, my mom thought Andrea and Steven’s parents were totally crazy.

By the time the sun was sinking low in the sky, I was starting to lose hope. David and I had been almost everywhere that Monica had loved. Between her favorite rock and magic store, to the diner where we’d gone almost every day after school the previous year, I was feeling hopeless and lost.

I sniffled as I climbed back in the passenger seat.

“Can you think of anywhere else?”

I shook my head. “No,” I said softly, “I can’t.”

David nodded. “I should be getting back to Vermont,” he said quietly. “I told my parents I’d be home later.”

I nodded.

“You okay?”

I nodded again, but I couldn’t stop the tears from welling up in my eyes. As much as I was worried about Monica, I couldn’t help feeling lonely. There was a giant hole in my chest where my best friend had once been, and I knew that it wouldn’t ever go away.

“What happens if we don’t find her?” I said listlessly, staring out the car window. Rain had begun to fall, and I watched the drops lash the window until my eyes burned.

“She’ll turn up.”

“You don’t know that.” Shifting in the seat, I turned to face David. “You don’t know anything. She could never come home. She could be gone. Forever.”

David sighed. “Look, Elizabeth, what do you want me to say? That I’m feeling fucking fantastic about my girlfriend missing? That I feel just great?”

“No…” I bit my lip. “I don’t know.” Tears came to my eyes, and I hunched over my lap, dreading the sobs. But when I started crying, it was like a dam broke. Emotion swirled loose in my brain, and for a moment, I cried so hard that all I could focus on was how much my sinuses hurt.

David reached over and awkwardly patted my back. “It’ll be okay,” he said. “Try not to worry so much, Elizabeth.”

“I miss her so much,” I sobbed. “I just wish she’d come home.”

“Me, too.” David’s voice was thick with emotion. When I looked at him, I saw that he was sobbing, too. I hesitated a second before unfastening my seat belt and wrapping my arms around his neck. David leaned into me, and I closed my eyes and rested my head on his shoulder until his black shirt was soaked through with tears.

It felt strange to be sharing such an intimate moment with someone I hadn’t exactly had warm feelings for. I cried on David’s shoulder until my throat was raw and aching, until I felt like I had no more tears left in my body. He sobbed wildly against me, shaking and shivering until the skin of his face was burning hot. All I could think about was Monica. I wondered if she was cold, or scared, or hurt. I wondered if some sicko had picked her up in a van, if somehow, she’d been mistaken for a little girl. I knew that Monica had always thought of herself as a real tough girl, but in reality, she was fragile. Jamie and Brian – nontraditional though they were – had kept her shielded from the rest of the world. A villain to Monica was a Republican or a capitalist.

After what felt like hours, David pulled away. He wiped his nose on his sleeve, leaving a trail of iridescent, sticky slime.

“Sorry,” David mumbled. “I don’t know why that happened.”

“You didn’t do anything wrong.”

The intimacy between us was deflating rapidly as David started the car and drove me home.

As I got ready to go inside, I unbuckled my seat belt and turned toward him.

“Thanks for coming down,” I said softly. “Even if we didn’t do all that much.”

David nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “Look, I can come back on the weekend. My parents won’t care. I could stay with Jamie and Brian.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

There was an awkward tension – a pause that made me shiver. Finally, not knowing what else to do, I lifted my fingers in a childish wave and climbed out of the car. David didn’t even stay to watch me go inside; he peeled out of the driveway, spraying gravel everywhere.

My mom was standing at the stove. “I was worried about you,” she chastised. “I don’t want you out alone. Not with all this going on.”

“I wasn’t alone. I was with…Andrea. Remember?”

Mom nodded. “Look, honey, I know you think you should be doing more. But there really isn’t anything to be done. The police are on Monica’s case, and they’re looking for her as hard as they can.”

I bit my lip. Mom was looking at me, staring at my bloodshot eyes.

“I just feel like no one even cares,” I said, flopping down in exasperation. “There hasn’t been a search party. Her parents probably haven’t even called the cops themselves!”

Mom sighed. “I know, sweetie.” She cleared her throat. “Sometimes we just have to let people do what they want. It’s not your responsibility to make the Boers be better parents.”

I clenched my jaw. “I’m going upstairs,” I muttered. “I’ll be down later.”

Once I was safely behind the locked door of my room, I grabbed my phone from the charger and called Steven. Normally, I would have been anxious at the thought of calling the D’Amicos. But right now, I was too worried about Monica.

“Hey, Elizabeth?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. “I skipped school today. To look for her, with David.”

“And?”

I sighed.

“Have you eaten yet?”

“No,” I said softly. “Why?”

“I’m picking you up in twenty,” Steven said. “We’re going to the diner.”

When Steven and I hung up, I changed into a pair of black jeans and a sweater. Racing downstairs, I checked my hair in the hallway mirror before walking into the kitchen.

“You’re looking better,” Mom said. She cocked her head to the side. “Everything okay?”

I nodded, trying not to blush. “Yes,” I said. “Um, Steven wants to take me out to dinner. Is that okay?”

Mom raised her eyebrows. “Is this a date, Elizabeth?”

“I don’t think so.” I twisted my hands together behind my back. “I mean, I don’t know. I think he just wants to talk about Monica.”

Mom nodded slowly. “Okay,” she said. “Just be home before ten, okay?”

I nodded. Just as I was grabbing a jacket from the hall closet, I heard the rumbling of an engine outside.

“Steven’s here,” I called. “Gotta go! See you later, Mom.”

Before she could reply, I darted outside and ran over to Steven’s car. He gave me a lopsided grin when he saw me, and my stomach lurched to the side in a mix of excitement and anxiety.

“You didn’t have to run out,” Steven said. “I was about to knock on the door.”

I shook my head. “No, it’s fine,” I said. “Let’s go.”

Steven drove in silence. When we got to the diner, another pang of sadness hit me.

“It feels so weird to be here without Monica,” I said as Steven held the door for me. “We used to come every day freshman year.”

Steven nodded. “Yeah, I saw you.”

I raised my eyebrow, and Steven blushed.

“I mean, I wasn’t spying or anything,” he said quickly. “Andrea told me, I guess.”

I nodded. “Yeah, it was when they were still friends.”

There was an awkward silence as we picked up the grease-spattered menus and began to browse. Although the diner was never particularly busy, it always had the same dingy look – floors streaked with dirt, tables covered with crumbs. It hadn’t ever bothered me, but now that I was here with Steven, everything looked even worse than it had before. ‘Is this a date?’ I wondered as I flipped through the menu. ‘And if it is, why didn’t we go someplace else?’

After we ordered, Steven looked into my eyes. “So, how was today?”

I shrugged. “We didn’t find anything,” I said listlessly. “And being with David was weird.” Instantly, I felt guilty for saying that.

Steven chuckled. “Yeah. He’s an odd dude.”

“I just wish we would have…I dunno. Seen something. Anything,” I stressed. “Like, anything to give me another idea where to look.”

Steven shrugged. “Probably better left to the cops.”

I frowned. “I guess.”

“We had this shitty assembly today,” Steven said. He snickered. “They brought in these bodybuilder guys who ripped phone books apart with their hands. Then they told us it was because they’d dedicated their lives to Jesus. Andrea flipped. It was fucking nuts.”

“Monica would have hated that,” I said. “Hey, I never thought of this before, but maybe I should call some of her other family. She has that cousin, right? The one that lives in Massachusetts?”

“It was such a weird day.” Steven raked a hand through his blond hair.

“I thought you brought me here to talk about Monica?”

Steven sighed. “I dunno, Elizabeth. I thought you needed a break that was why I suggested it.”

“So, you don’t really care,” I said hotly. I knew I was going down a dangerous path, but I couldn’t help it. Suddenly, I was incredibly angry that no one else was taking this seriously.

“Of course, I care!” Steven looked offended. “I care a lot, you know? These adults – they’re not doing shit!”

I sighed. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m just frustrated.”

“I get that,” Steven said. “Everything will be okay. Just try to chill out, okay?”

Steven launched into a story about something that had happened in AP English, and as much as I wanted to listen, my resentment was growing. I couldn’t believe that he didn’t even care about Monica. ‘My best friend is dead, and no one cares but me,’ I thought angrily. ‘Am I going crazy? Did I imagine this whole thing?’

After we ate – a tuna melt for me, and a club sandwich for Steven – Steven paid the bill, and we climbed into his car.

“Hey, I’m going over to John’s,” Steven said.

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, I need to stop by the house and grab something. I borrowed a movie from him last week,” Steven said. “You don’t mind, do you? I’ll take you home right after.”

I frowned. “Sure,” I said. “No problem.” I turned my face to the window so he wouldn’t catch my disappointment. I’d been hoping that he would ask me to come.

Steven pulled into his driveway. “Hey, come in for a minute,” he said. “You’ll get cold if you stay in the car.”

I nodded before following him inside. The foyer of the D’Amicos house was a rush of activity. Andrea was scurrying around with a hairbrush in one hand and her jacket clutched in the other. Mr. and Mrs. D’Amico were arguing loudly. Steven darted upstairs, throwing me an apologetic glance over his shoulder as he did so.

“Hi, Elizabeth,” Andrea said primly. She smiled. “How are you feeling today? I noticed you weren’t at school.” She held out her bag, and I saw that it was a bible case with handles and a gold-stitched crucifix on one side.

“Um, yeah,” I said. “I was sick.”

Andrea leapt away like I’d just told her that I had the plague. “Don’t come too close,” she said. “I have such a low immune system.”

I nodded. “Right.” Now that Monica was gone, being around Andrea was harder than ever. She looked one second away from bursting into tears. I wondered if she was feeling guilty.

“So, you and Steven were out with friends?”

I shook my head. “Uh, no. We just went to the diner, that’s all.”

“Alone?” Andrea raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “He told me he wanted to cheer me up. You know…because of Monica.”

Andrea frowned. A deep crease appeared in the pale skin of her forehead. “I don’t think Mom wants Steven to have a girlfriend right now. She’s worried he won’t get into a good school.”

“I’m not Steven’s girlfriend,” I said, shaking my head.

Andrea stared at me. “I’m going to church,” she said. “You want to come? My youth group always wants new people. We welcome everyone.”

Something about the way Andrea was staring at me was giving me goosebumps.

“I have homework,” I lied. “Maybe next time.”

Andrea nodded firmly. “It would be good of you to come,” she said. “I noticed you and your family stopped coming to church years ago.”

“My mom is just so busy now,” I said. “We don’t really have time.”

“Everyone should make time for God.”

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, praying for Steven to come rescue me. Just as Andrea launched into the virtues of regular church attendance, Steven’s footsteps thundered down the steps. He jumped the last three, landing in the foyer with a loud, boyish thud.

“Hey, I’m ready,” Steven said. He jerked his head toward the door. “You wanna go?”

“Steven, can you give me a ride to church?” Andrea batted her eyelashes at her brother. “Mom’s going to be late again.”

“Uh, sure. Come on.”

I tried not to show my disappointment. Andrea skipped outside ahead of me and darted into the passenger seat of Steven’s car. He and I followed.

“Sorry,” Steven muttered. “Mom would shit if I said no. That’s the whole reason they bought me a car.”

I nodded. “No worries. It’s fine.”

Andrea chattered incessantly about her church group the whole way into town. Steven and I nodded, but I noticed he wasn’t saying much. It was interesting to see how much he’d changed. Until last year, Steven had been almost as religious as his younger sister. But he seemed different now, almost like he’d changed completely.

“Elizabeth’s house is before the church,” Andrea said crossly. “Why aren’t you dropping her off first?”

“Sorry,” Steven said absentmindedly. He pulled into the gravel lot of Jaffrey United Methodist. “I must’ve forgotten.”

Andrea gave me a sour look. She smiled at Steven. Just as she was about to climb out of the car, she ducked her head back in and kissed Steven, full on the lips.

Chapter Nine

Monica

With a groan, I opened my eyes. I expected to see Henrik or his coven dancing around me and moaning. Instead, I was shocked to discover that I was in my parents’ backyard, covered in dirt.

The athame was sitting in my lap. The blade gleamed, reflecting my own face in the shiny surface.

I shivered. ‘Did I just have a bad dream,’ I wondered as I climbed to my feet and brushed my hands off on my thighs. ‘What the hell happened?’

The sky was tinged pink and orange with the setting of the sun, and the air was brisk and chilly. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my torso, hugging myself for warmth. After a few seconds, I grabbed the athame and held it at my side, clutching the handle with a white-knuckled grip.

Inside, Jamie and Brian were sitting at the dinner table, full glasses of wine in front of them.

Jamie looked up at me and smiled. “There you are,” she said. “I was actually starting to worry.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Hey.” I cleared my throat. “Could I have something to eat?”

“Your father made mushroom risotto; it’s in the kitchen.” Jamie yawned. “You must be tired.”

I nodded. “Exhausted.”

“Hey, sweetheart,” Brian said. He barely glanced up from the papers. “Have fun with David?”

“I wasn’t with David.” I held the knife behind my back and made my way across the room, keeping it out of sight.

“Oh.” Brian turned a page, narrowing his eyes at a headline. “Where did you go?”

I shrugged. “I was around.”

“I knew you’d be fine,” Jamie said absentmindedly. She yawned, rubbing at her eyes with both fists. “You missed a week of school, though. Should probably phone your teachers and ask for assignments.”

My eyes widened. “I was gone for a week?”

Jamie nodded. She and Brian exchanged a knowing glance. “And just how much acid did you decide to drop?” Jamie giggled. “It’s okay, honey. You don’t have to tell me. Just be safe, okay? Try not to have a bad trip. They’re a real pain in the ass.”

“Um, yeah,” I said. “I’m going to take a shower, okay?”

Jamie and Brian nodded in unison. I bolted upstairs, clutching the athame to my chest.

My room looked almost exactly the same as it had when I’d left. My bed was mussed, and my closet was undisturbed. It felt so surreal – and yet, so amazing – to be home that I was starting to feel overwhelmed. Each passing second only created more questions in my brain. ‘Was I really gone for a week? What happened? Why can’t I remember more from the time I was gone? Was I actually gone, or was I just hallucinating in the woods?’

It was very strange. Whenever I closed my eyes, I could remember the exact feeling of Henrik grabbing my shoulder. I could remember the heat of the flames and even the herbal smell of the smoke that had surrounded the coven.

But I could barely remember what had actually happened.

I shuddered. ‘It was probably some kind of hallucinatory thing,’ I realized as I stripped down and pulled on my bathrobe. ‘Like, maybe some of that stuff at the party was spiked with LSD. I bet Steven’s asshole jock friends would do that as a joke.’

An idea struck me. I walked over to my desk and grabbed a pen and a notepad. In a trembling hand, I wrote Henrik’s name. But when I tried to remember what he looked like, the image faded from my mind. I clenched my jaw in frustration and tried to think. Was he old? Young? Foreign? With a name like Henrik, probably so – but I couldn’t remember him having any kind of an accent. I couldn’t remember what he’d worn. I couldn’t remember how his voice had sounded.

In fact, the only memory that was really sticking with me was the feeling, the sensation, of being trapped and captured. I shuddered. Once, I’d read a news clipping about a serial killer who abducted women and drugged them heavily so they wouldn’t remember undergoing torture. Most of the time, the drugs killed them. But in a few cases, they survived with no memories of what had happened.

Fear swelled in my chest. I decided to take a hot shower -- that had sometimes helped me calm down in the past, so it was at least worth a try.

I locked myself in the bathroom and sat down on the toilet as I waited for the water heater to warm up. Soon, clouds of white steam filled the bathroom. I inhaled as deeply as I could. It felt purifying, cleansing. ‘This was all a dream,’ I told myself firmly as I shed my robe and climbed into the shower. ‘I made everything up in my head.’

The hot water soaked my hair and body. I closed my eyes and held my head under the warm spray for as long as I could until my lungs were burning for air.

Whenever the water touched the inside of my right forearm, it burned. Glancing down, I saw that my arm was covered in crude tattoos. They were still bleeding. The skin was red and angry, and I gasped in horror when I recognized the symbols.

They were the exact same symbols that had been carved into the handle of the athame.

I muffled my screams with both hands, sobbing and crying blindly until I could no longer breathe in the steam-filled bathroom. My hands shook as I turned off the water and fumbled for my towel and then my robe.

It was dumb, but part of me thought I’d just made the symbols up in my head. When I was locked in the safety of my room, I studied my arm. They were definitely real. I could see where the edge of each tattoo was raw and beginning to scab over. But I didn’t remember getting them, and I had no idea what they meant. I stared down at the symbols for so long that they started to move and sway in the dim light of my desk lamp.

I took a deep breath. I knew that I couldn’t be alone with my thoughts anymore. I had to do something to distract myself. I pulled on clean clothes and then went downstairs.

“Hey, sweetie,” Brian said. “Feeling better?”

I nodded stiffly.

“I bet you’re tired,” Jamie said. She winked at Brian. “You know, when I met your father, I don’t think we slept for a week.”

I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m tired,” I said.

“You better make sure that David uses protection,” Jamie said. “You are being smart about this, aren’t you, honey?”

I nodded again. “I’m going to heat up some of that risotto. You want anything?”

Jamie shook her head. “Brian’s going to make spaghetti for dinner, if you feel like waiting.”

“Okay.” My stomach rumbled. Suddenly, the faint, irony taste of rare meat came into my mouth, and I swallowed, realizing how hungry I really was.

Jamie was sitting in the living room, half-watching a design show on the portable TV that she and Brian had had since college. Living with aging hippies hadn’t ever really bothered me, but I did have to admit that I was jealous of the flat screen that Elizabeth had in her room.

‘Elizabeth! I need to call her!’ Instinctively, I reached into my pocket for my phone. My fingers just touched empty denim, and I realized that I hadn’t seen my phone in my room, either.

“Hey, have you seen my phone anywhere?”

Jamie glanced up from the television. “What?”

“My phone,” I repeated. “I think I left it around here somewhere. Have you seen it?”

Jamie chuckled. “Ah, young love,” she said. “If I had a dime for everything I misplaced when I first started seeing your father…”

I frowned, but didn’t want to argue. I couldn’t deny that I was hurt by my parents not caring more. What if something bad had happened? What if I’d been killed or kidnapped or something?

“Did you worry when I was gone?”

“What? No,” Jamie said. She frowned. “Why would I worry? Your father and I know you’re a smart, capable girl.”

“I’m fifteen,” I said flatly. “I’ve never run off before.”

Jamie shrugged. “Teenage hormones,” she said dismissively. “You’ve just got to get it out of your system. You know, Elizabeth’s mother, Agnes, called the police. They came over here, but we just didn’t think any kind of investigation was necessary.”

‘Ouch.’

“But something could have happened to me,” I said quietly. “Something really awful.”

“But it didn’t,” Jamie said. She shrugged. “And like I said, Monica, your father and I trust you. We know you wouldn’t do anything wrong.”

I sighed. “Okay.”

“What? You’re upset with me now because I’m not some helicopter mother?”

“No,” I lied. “I’m fine.”

“You’re awfully moody tonight.” Jamie yawned. “You getting your period? You pregnant?”

“No,” I said sharply. Jamie looked offended, and I bit my lip. “Just tired. That’s all.”

“Well, maybe go to bed early after dinner. You can take tomorrow off if you want. I’ll call in to the school and say you’re sick.”

“I should really go,” I said. I slid off the couch. “I’m going to get something to eat. I don’t think I can wait for dinner.”

“Your father’s spaghetti is something special,” Jamie called over my shoulder. “You should try some later, honey.”

I swallowed and didn’t reply. I couldn’t believe the way my mother was acting. Even though she’d never really been a traditional mother, it was crazy. ‘Almost as crazy as this stupid thing on my arm,’ I thought as I pulled open the fridge and grabbed the plastic container of risotto. ‘What the hell is going on?’

Brian had a fire roaring in the dining room. When my risotto was steaming hot, I dumped it into a bowl and went to sit by the fire. The house was freezing cold, but the flames warmed my limbs and burned the exposed skin on my face. I closed my eyes, relishing the hot warmth against the thin skin of my eyelids.

“Monica…Monica…”

My eyes flashed open. The flames of the fire were dancing and twisting higher, wildly moving out of control. I couldn’t look away as they shifted and swelled, almost like something live.

My heart thumped in my chest, and my mouth went dry as I saw the flames slowly take human form. A fiery figure appeared – a woman clothed in a bonnet and a long dress – and grew larger with each passing second. I gasped in fright as a fiery finger extended from the fireplace.

“Monica…”

The fire hissed and crackled, and I jumped at the clear sound of my name. The fiery woman came closer, and I cried out in shock as I recognized Andrea.

“Monica, you are condemned to death!” The woman threw her head back and cackled. Her flaming eyes sparkled with excitement and evil. She grinned maliciously at me, exposing a mouth of crooked, fiery teeth.

“Go away,” I whimpered, backing away from the fire. “This isn’t happening! This is a dream!”

“Monica, you will be put to death for practicing witchcraft and bringing evil to the village of Jaffrey. I condemn you.”

“No!” I cried loudly. “No! Stop! This isn’t happening!” I closed my eyes and covered my ears with both hands, desperate to block out Andrea’s fiery apparition. Her voice carried through the room as loud as the gusts of wind outside. I trembled in fright as she spoke the same phrase, again and again, until I thought I would lose my mind.

The door flew open, and the flames of the fire died down, sinking back down into the fireplace until it was just a normal fire again, crackling and hissing.

Brian and Jamie stood in the doorway, looking horrified.

“You were screaming,” Brian said. “Is everything okay?” He looked at me with the most concern I’d ever seen on his face.

I nodded. “I’m fine,” I lied. “I’m totally fine.”

Chapter Ten

Elizabeth

The rest of the week passed in a blur. I hated to admit it, but things were almost starting to go back to normal around home. The cops had done nothing to search for Monica – the word around town was that her parents had urged them to leave their daughter alone – and slowly, the kids at school were finding other things to talk about.

The only people who seemed to think of Monica at all were David and myself. Even Steven had stopped asking me how I was feeling. It bothered me. What bothered me more was that if it had been anyone else, I really would have let loose on them. But being around Steven was different. Whenever we were together, I could barely think of anyone but him.

It made me feel like the world’s shittiest best friend.

On Sunday, I was still in bed when Mom came to the door and told me that Steven was on the phone. I could tell by her expression that she was dying to know more, but I managed to push her out of the room before she could ask. Steven asked if I wanted to come over and watch a movie. His parents were at church with Andrea, and he finally had the house to himself.

Before I left, I put on a touch of mascara and did my eyebrows with the new pencil I’d gotten over the summer.

Mom raised her eyebrow at me when I went downstairs.

“You’re going to have to bring this Steven around,” she said. “I want to know who my daughter is spending so much time with.”

I blushed. “Mom, you’ve met him before, remember? We used to go to their church.”

Mom frowned. “That was years ago,” she said. “We haven’t been for a long time. You know that, Elizabeth.”

“Well, he’s still the same person,” I said lightly.

“He always seemed so devout, especially for a young person,” Mom said slowly. “Has he changed? He’s not pressuring you, is he?”

I shook my head so quickly my brain spun. “No,” I said. “Nothing like that.”

“If you want to keep seeing him, I need to meet him,” Mom said. “You can’t put this off forever, honey.”

I frowned. “Okay.”

Mom laughed. “Come on, it’s not like I’m a dragon lady or anything. You know that.”

I nodded. “I’m just nervous.” I blushed and looked down. “I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”

“Good.” Mom rolled her eyes. “When I was growing up, your grandmother wouldn’t let me go out with anyone until they introduced themselves first.”

I shuddered. “Yikes.”

“I didn’t have any boyfriends until college for a reason,” Mom said lightly. “But then I met your father, and you know…the rest is history.” She smiled. “Steven sounds nice, Elizabeth. I’m not trying to pressure you. I just want to make sure you’re not getting into anything you shouldn’t be.”

Her unsaid implication was, ‘I just want to make sure you’re not getting into anything like Monica.’

“Right,” I said quickly. “Well, Steven’s here. Gotta go. Bye, Mom.”

Mom gave me a distracted, one-armed hug, and I dashed out the door. Steven was leaning against the side of his car. He grinned when he saw me.

“So, you ever seen Tree of Life?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t even heard of it,” I admitted.

Steven laughed. “Me neither,” he said. “My parents got it from Netflix, though. Thought it might be interesting.”

I smiled. “You’re in a good mood,” I said as he pulled out of the driveway.

Steven nodded. “Yeah. Mom finally stopped forcing me to go to church with the rest of them,” he said. “You would have thought she could have taken the hint back in junior high.”

“Mmm.”

“It’s just…I don’t really identify as a Christian.” Steven kept his eyes focused on the road, and I wondered if this was a personal subject for him.

“I don’t, either,” I said.

“It’s different for you,” Steven said. He turned the car around a bend in the road, and I grabbed the door so I wouldn’t go flying. “You didn’t grow up in a family like mine.”

“I guess.”

“No, it is.” Steven shook his head, laughing bitterly. “You should’ve seen my mom’s face when I told her I wanted to read science fiction. She acted like I’d said I wanted to start worshipping the devil. She wouldn’t even let Andrea read those stupid Harry Potter books.”

I snorted. “Those aren’t bad at all.”

Steven nodded. “That’s my point.” He pulled into the driveway of his parents’ house and wiped his palms on his jeans. “It was, like, a huge struggle with my mom. She finally said I was old enough to decide for myself, but she told me that she’d be praying for me anyway.”

I snorted.

“I know,” Steven said. He rolled his eyes. “Come on.”

It felt strange being in the D’Amico house without Andrea. Before the whole séance fiasco, Monica and I had come over a couple of times per week. Even though Mrs. D’Amico was annoyingly religious, she was a generous hostess. She’d always made us snacks and paid attention to us. Monica had always sort of mocked Andrea behind her back, but now that she was gone, I realized she must have appreciated the level of attention from Mrs. D’Amico. It wasn’t like Monica’s parents at all; there, you were lucky if they even acknowledged your presence.

“It’s so quiet in here.” I ran my hand along the polished wood of the bannister. “Your mom did a nice job with the house.”

Steven nodded. “Yeah. She’s kind of obsessed. She’s really into, like, those house-flipping shows.”

My stomach lurched. “Do your parents want to move?”

Steven snorted. “Hardly. My mom thinks big cities are like, dens of sin. She’s never going to want to leave a small town.” He eyed me smugly. “Why? Would you be upset if I left?”

I blushed hotly. “Maybe,” I lied.

Steven took my hand and pulled me close. I was surprised by how easily he could move me. He was definitely stronger than he looked. When he put his fingers under my chin and tilted my head up for a kiss, I thought my heart would explode.

“I like you,” Steven murmured. “You’re really cool, Elizabeth.”

I blushed. Steven pressed his lips to mine, gently at first. Then his teeth scraped my lower lip, and a shudder of something strange and hot flashed through my lower body. I moaned softly as Steven slipped his tongue in my mouth. It felt strange – almost invasive and alien – but after a few seconds, it seemed almost as normal as breathing.

Steven pulled away and grinned. “Come on,” he said. “The couch is more comfortable.”

I took a deep breath and tucked loose hair behind my ears as I followed him into his living room. There were two matching couches upholstered in striped silk, and I sat gingerly at the end of the one closest to the television. Steven put the movie in the DVD player, then sat down next to me. The couch bounced with his weight.

“I’m glad you could come over,” Steven said. He put an arm around me. After a second, I scooted closer.

“Do your parents know?”

Steven shook his head. “Nah. They won’t be back until the afternoon, though. Andrea’s got some kind of a performance thing after the service, and then they’re going out to lunch.” He rolled his eyes. “Mom tried to bribe me with food. No thanks.”

“Are you going to get in trouble?”

Steven shrugged. “I don’t really care if I do,” he said. “That doesn’t bother me.”

“Look at you, mister cool,” I said.

Steven snickered. Up close, he smelled like clean laundry and fresh aftershave. A shiver wriggled through my body. When he kissed me this time, I wasn’t as nervous. I tilted my head up and closed my eyes, trying to hold my head exactly still.

Steven tangled his fingers in my hair and gently pulled. Warmth cascaded through my limbs, and I felt myself melting in his arms. As Steven kissed me, he gently pushed me down on the couch until I was on my back. The kisses grew urgent, more intense, until I found myself clawing at Steven to pull him closer. He gently pulled away, then nuzzled my head up and started kissing and nibbling on my neck.

Sensations exploded in my lower belly, coiling tight with arousal. I moaned and arched my back, spreading my thighs. Steven crawled between my legs, and I felt something hard at his crotch poking my thigh. When I realized it was his erection, I blushed hotly. Steven licked his way back up my neck, then kissed me deeply and slid his tongue in my mouth.

I wrapped my arms around Steven’s neck, and he pressed his body closed to mine. After a few seconds, I realized that I was moving my hips in a sensual rhythm, pressing my body against Steven’s, hungry for more.

The only thing I could think about was how much I wanted to keep kissing him. My lips were chapped and raw, but I didn’t care; the tingling in my nipples and between my legs was too much, too exciting. When Steven put his hand up my shirt, I shivered at the touch of his cold fingers against my skin.

“Is this okay?” Steven murmured, turning my head to the side and nipping at my earlobe. It tickled in a sensual way, and I giggled, biting my lip nervously.

“Yeah,” I whispered softly. Steven kissed me again, pressing his lips hard against mine as his fingers moved under my top. When he rubbed my stiff nipple through the material of my bra, I cried out in pleasure. Everything in me wanted more – wanted him.

Steven reached behind me and fumbled at the clasp of my bra. There was a loud sound from the other room, and I tensed underneath of him. His fingers kept trying to undo the clasp.

“We should stop,” I said, sitting up and pushing my hair out of my face. My heart was racing, and I knew my face was bright red.

“It was probably just the cat,” Steven said. “Come here.” He reached for me again, but this time, I dodged out of the way.

“No,” I said. “I’m sorry. It doesn’t feel right doing this on your couch. Your parents could come back at any minute.”

Steven frowned, but he sat up and straightened his shirt. Immediately, my stomach twisted with regret, but the mood between us had vanished. An image of Andrea kissing Steven on the lips popped into my head, and I frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I bit my lip.

“You’re lying,” Steven said. “Come on, Elizabeth. You can tell me. Did I push you too far?”

I shook my head. “That’s not it,” I said slowly.

“Then what? Tell me.”

My heart started to thud again, but out of anxiety this time.

“It’s nothing.”

Steven rolled his eyes. “Come on, don’t be like that.” He stared at me. “I didn’t think you were like other girls, Elizabeth. I thought you were cool.”

I swallowed. “Why did Andrea kiss you the other day?”

Steven shrugged. “Uh, I don’t know. Probably because she’s my sister.”

“On the lips?”

Steven stared at me for so long that I started to feel like an idiot. “Yeah,” he said.

“What’s going on with her? Is she jealous?”

Steven rolled his eyes. “Jealousy isn’t a good look, Elizabeth.” He stood up from the couch and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’m not talking about Andrea with you. I’ll be right back.”

Steven strode out of the room. A few seconds later, I heard the bathroom door slam shut. My heart twisted, and I closed my eyes, trying to process what had just happened.

When I heard my phone buzz, I looked down at the table. But it wasn’t my phone; it was Steven’s, lit up with a text.

I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t help myself. The screen flashed and lit up with Andrea’s name. I bit my lip as I took Steven’s phone with trembling fingers and unlocked the screen.

There was a photo of Andrea, topless, with her back facing the camera. She was glancing over her shoulder and pouting. It was in some public bathroom – the glare on the mirror was almost more noticeable than her naked back.

My stomach dropped as I read the text.

“I can’t wait for tonight.”

For a moment, I thought I was going to throw up. I dropped Steven’s phone like it was burning hot, grabbed my bag, and ran out of the house.

I ran all the way home. Even when I was breathless with a painful stitch in my side, I didn’t slow down. I kept running and running until my legs ached and my chest burned. I didn’t stop running until I was on the porch of my parents’ house, where I bent over and rested my hands on my knees.

The nausea hadn’t gone away. I couldn’t stop thinking of that stupid sly smile on Andrea’s face, and that creepy picture. Why the fuck would she have sent something like that to Steven? Was she trying to make me jealous?

Or was I an idiot? Was something going on between Steven and Andrea? Was he just using me as an excuse?

The door swung open. When Mom saw me gasping and red in the face, she gaped.

“Honey, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said. I was panting so hard that talking was difficult. After sucking in a couple gasps of air, I turned to her. “Steven’s parents weren’t home, so I thought I should come back. I didn’t feel like having him give me a ride. It’s such a nice night, I thought I’d exercise for a while.”

Mom frowned. “It’s thirty-five degrees, Elizabeth.”

Pushing past her, I forced a fake grin. “Well, exercise is good for keeping warm.”

“I didn’t think you’d be home until later, so I just made leftovers for dinner. You want some, or do you want me to make something else?”

“No,” I said quickly. My stomach was still jumping and dancing around, and I knew that even smelling food would make me sick. “I’m fine. I’m going to take a shower and go to bed early.”

Mom looked at me suspicious, but nodded. “Okay,” she said slowly. “That’s fine, honey. Just come down later if you change your mind.”

I nodded. As soon as she was back in the kitchen, I bolted upstairs and grabbed my phone. I had two missed calls from Steven, and about fifteen texts. My stomach turned, and I threw my phone on my bed without even looking at his messages.

I felt like the world’s worst person. I’d almost completely forgotten about my missing best friend because of a guy. I’d been so stupid, so blind that I hadn’t even thought about anything untoward going on.

‘Monica, please,’ I thought desperately as I crawled into bed and pulled the covers up, ‘if you can hear me, please come back. I need you now more than ever.’

Chapter Eleven

I barely slept that night. In the morning, I was half awake as I pulled on a clean pair of pants and a sweater.

As I walked to school, I couldn’t stop thinking about Steven and Andrea. I still hadn’t checked my phone. In fact, I hadn’t even brought it with me. I wondered what Steven would do. Although he didn’t seem like the cruel type, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Was he going to start a rumor that I was some kind of slut?

And how the hell was I supposed to act around Andrea now?

But the biggest shock of all came when I walked into homeroom. Monica was sitting in her usual seat, her attention turned to a piece of paper in her lap. Gasping, I ran over and grabbed her shoulder.

“Oh, my god!” I yelped. “Where the hell have you been?”

Monica slowly tilted her head and gazed at me. “I’m fine,” she said. She narrowed her brown eyes. Her blonde hair was messier than usual, styled in two small buns at the top of her head.

“Jesus!” I slid into my chair and scooted closer so the other kids wouldn’t hear me. “I missed you so much, I was so worried!”

Monica shrugged. “I’m fine.” She smiled sardonically. “You worry too much, Elizabeth.”

My heart was thudding in my chest, and I pinched my thigh to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The pinch hurt, but still, this didn’t feel real.

“I missed you,” I repeated. Tears came to my eyes, and I blinked them away, not wanting to cry in public. “I was really scared that something horrible had happened.”

“I was probably sick, you know,” Monica said. “Like, in bed the whole time.”

I stared at her. “What do you mean, probably?”

“Like, I probably had the flu.” Monica tossed her head. “We probably shouldn’t have gone on that walk after the party.”

My jaw dropped. “I…I went to your house,” I said slowly. “On Tuesday afternoon, after school. You weren’t there. I know that’s not true, Monica. Where did you go?”

“I was with David.”

“Monica…” I trailed off. “You don’t have to lie to me. We’re best friends, remember? You can tell me the truth.”

“That is the truth,” Monica said stubbornly. “Did I miss a lot?”

I blinked. “I know you’re lying,” I said unsteadily. Monica’s brown eyes flashed with anger, but she didn’t speak. “I know because I spent a lot of time talking to David this week. He even drove out on Wednesday, and we went looking for you at the lake. We drove everywhere in town. Both of us were really, really worried.”

Monica still didn’t reply. She bit her lip, looking angry and defensive.

I reached out and took her hand. “Look, I know it was really weird, okay? Your parents were like, not really too into the idea of looking for you. I know that has to hurt. But you have to know that David and I did everything we could. We were both so, so scared that something was really wrong. I…” I trailed off. A lump formed in my throat, and I swallowed. “I’m just so glad you’re back.”

“Of course, I’m back,” Monica sniffed. “I live here, don’t I?”

I sighed, deflated. “What’s wrong?” I asked quietly. “What happened, Monica? What’s on your mind?”

Monica didn’t reply. She sat up straighter. Despite her short stature, she suddenly cut an intimidating figure, like someone much older, or much more confident.

“David’s really worried, too,” I said gently. “He feels awful about not being able to come last weekend. Have you talked to him?”

Monica stayed silent.

“And did you see my texts?” I pressed. “And my calls? I probably left you, like, sixty voicemails. You can just delete them, it’s fine. I was probably babbling the whole time, anyway, like a real crazy person.”

Monica stared.

“Please,” I begged. “Please, just tell me you’re okay.” I frowned. “I’m really worried. I mean, I know you don’t have to tell me everything that happened – I’ll ask my mom to help find a good counselor for you – but you need to talk to someone, Monica!”

“I don’t need to do anything,” Monica said icily.

The bell rang, and I jumped in surprise. Monica snickered. “You’re so jumpy, Elizabeth,” she said. “Can’t you just relax?”

I stared at her. “I was so worried,” I said softly. The room around us had quieted with the ringing of the bell, but I knew I wouldn’t be satisfied until I got some real answers.

Monica didn’t reply. She turned to face the front of the classroom and put her hands in her lap, ignoring me. As the teacher called roll, I tried hissing her name to get her attention, but nothing worked. She completely ignored me for the whole fifteen-minute period before our first class.

The second bell rang, and kids leapt out of their seats, grabbing their bags and scattering around me like a messy, smelly river.

Monica stayed firmly in her seat, staring straight ahead at the blackboard. Soon, we were the only two left in the room.

“Um, hey, aren’t you going to class?”

Monica turned to me. Her brown eyes were icy cold.

“Elizabeth?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m done talking about last week,” Monica said.

“But–”

“I said I’m done,” Monica snapped. She grabbed her backpack and stalked out of the room, leaving me confused, unhappy, and filled with regret.

The rest of the day dragged by. The few classes we had together, Monica ignored me. She even moved seats to the other side of the room. At first, I was determined to figure out exactly what had happened. I wanted to know what was bothering her so much. But after a while, I figured I had to let it go. Monica was stubborn – this wasn’t exactly a new development – and she wasn’t happy until she got her way.

I decided that I’d back off, at least for a while until she was ready to talk about what had happened. I shivered as I thought about that cold look in her eye. I knew that whatever had gone on, she must feel terrible. Horrible scenarios paraded through my head all day, each worse than the last. Kidnapping, abduction, rape, torture…all of these seemed likely. I shuddered.

‘She must be so embarrassed and horrified,’ I kept thinking. ‘I have to find a way to make her understand that none of this was her fault. That’s what victims think, but Monica has to know how much she’s loved, even if her parents don’t care.’

The only odd thing was that Monica seemed stronger than ever before. She didn’t exactly seem like she’d been victimized – if anything, she seemed like she’d undergone some powerful transformation.

And then there was the whole matter of Steven and Andrea. I desperately wanted to tell Monica, but with her acting like this, I didn’t know if that would be a good idea. The old Monica never would have betrayed my secrets. But I thought that if she’d undergone something really and truly traumatic, she might be thinking a little differently.

When the last bell of the day rung, I slowly walked out to the parking lot. Normally, Monica and I always met to walk home together. I didn’t expect to see her there. In fact, I was almost shocked when I saw her leaning against the brick wall, staring up at the sky.

“Hey,” I said softly as I jogged up. “Thanks for waiting.”

Monica nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “You wanna walk home?”

I nodded. “Sure.”

The space between us felt tense as we started walking slowly out of the parking lot. Monica stayed silent. I felt an overwhelming pressure to speak, to apologize, to make sure she knew I was still her friend – to say anything. But no matter how I tried the words in my head, everything sounded overblown and ridiculous.

Finally, I stopped walking. “Look, Monica, I’m really sorry if I made you so uncomfortable,” I said slowly. “I didn’t mean to pry. I just missed you, and I’m glad you’re back.”

Monica gave me a small, secretive smile. “It’s okay,” she said. I waited for her to say more, selfishly hoping she’d break down and tell the truth. Instead, she started walking again, faster this time.

“How are Jamie and Brian?”

Monica shrugged. “They’re fine.”

“My parents are so busy right now,” I babbled. “I feel like I haven’t seen my dad in weeks. He barely comes home from the office. My mom is so freaking tired of taking care of Aidan by herself, she’s got, like, these perpetual dark circles.”

Monica nodded.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steven and Andrea walking toward us. I groaned.

“What?” Monica frowned. “What’s going on?”

“Um,” I paused as a fine sheen of sweat broke out over my forehead. “I don’t know. I mean, I can’t talk right now. I have to tell you something.”

Monica narrowed her eyes. “You’re being weird, Elizabeth,” she said. “Just tell me. I don’t understand why you need to be so secretive!”

“It’s about Steven,” I hissed under my breath. “We should go. I really don’t feel like talking to them right now.”

Monica looked at me suspiciously. “Why?”

I groaned. “Just come on,” I hissed through gritted teeth. “Let’s go. I’ll tell you later.”

“Hey, Monica!” Andrea called. She jogged over, grinning. “I’m so glad to see you! Oh, my god, we were all so worried!”

Monica gave her a dark look. “I’m fine,” she said.

“So, what happened?” Andrea smiled. “I’m just so glad you’re back!”

Monica stared at her. As I watched, Monica’s brown eyes began to glow golden. Then they turned into two liquid pools of black. Andrea gasped and pointed her finger at Monica’s chest, brushing the front of her shirt. Monica yowled, leaping into the air like a scalded cat.

Monica started hissing something in a foreign language under her breath. I was horrified as she advanced on Andrea, staring her down with her black eyes and growling in a guttural tone.

“Monica, chill,” I said softly. “It’s Andrea, remember? She’s our friend.”

Monica’s hand shot out and grabbed my wrist before I had a chance to pull away. She twisted her fingers tightly until hot pain shot up my arm. I cried out and tried to yank my wrist back, but Monica held firm. She twisted her fingers, and I groaned, dropping to my knees in sudden pain.

Monica threw her head to the sky and howled. She released me, then spun on her heels and sprinted away toward the woods.

Steven and Andrea stared at me, their mouths hanging open in shock.

“So,” I said weakly, rubbing my wrist. It still ached from Monica’s tight grip. “Monica’s back.”

Steven cleared his throat. “Elizabeth, what the fuck is going on?”

“I don’t know,” I said softly. “I have no fucking idea.”

--

As I walked home, I couldn’t get the freakish look in Monica’s eyes out of my head. It was hard to believe that her eyes had suddenly changed color. ‘I must have been imagining that,’ I thought dully. ‘It must have been a trick of the light, or maybe she’s getting sick.’

But no illness I could think of would have led to such a dramatic change in my friend’s appearance. And thinking about the way she’d twisted my wrist sent shivers down my spine. The fragile bones of my wrist were aching, and it was swollen. For a moment, I’d thought she was trying to rip my hand clean off my body.

Mom was sitting in the kitchen when I got home. “Hey, honey. Some guy named David has been calling for you.” She cleared her throat. “He’s been calling all day – something like fifty times.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

Mom tapped her chin. “He said his last name was Spring,” she said. “Does that ring a bell? I don’t know any Springs in Jaffrey.” She chuckled. “I thought you were dating Steven. Did something happen between the two of you?”

“He’s Monica’s boyfriend,” I said quickly. “He lives in Vermont.”

“And why was he calling here?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I’ll call him back as soon as I get upstairs.”

Mom frowned. “Okay, honey,” she said.

I took the stairs two at a time, leaping until I was out of breath. As soon as I was in my room, I called David.

He answered on the first ring. “Where the fuck were you?”

“I was at school,” I said. “Jesus, what the fuck is the matter?”

“I need to talk to you,” David said. “I’m driving to Jaffrey now. I’ll be at your house in ten minutes or so. Come outside and get in my car.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Can you tell me what’s going on?”

“No,” David said, “not on the phone.”

“Monica’s back,” I said quickly. “Isn’t that great?”

David didn’t answer. “Ten minutes, Elizabeth,” he said firmly.

“I don’t know that I can,” I said. I bit my lip. Even though David and I had bonded (well, sort of) while Monica was still missing, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of spending more time with him. He still bothered me, and his intensity right now was freaking me out.

“You have to,” David said. “You don’t have a fucking choice.”

He hung up, and I stared down at the phone in my hand, unable to fathom what he needed to tell me so badly. After a few minutes, I went downstairs.

Mom was still sitting at the table. “How was school?”

“Monica’s back,” I said. “She was in homeroom this morning.” ‘And then she freaked out and almost broke my wrist and ran into the woods like a total nutcase,’ I added silently in my head.

“Oh, honey, that’s wonderful!” Mom sighed. “I bet her parents are so relieved.”

I nodded slowly. “Yeah,” I said. “I bet.”

“Did she tell you what happened?”

I bit my lip. “Not exactly.”

Mom sighed. “That poor girl,” she said slowly. “I can’t imagine how terrifying it must have been for her.”

I nodded. “Yeah,” I said.

“Well, I’m sure she’ll take some time to adjust,” Mom said. “But in the meantime, until the police have it figured out, you’re not allowed to go out unless you’re with a parent, okay?”

“Mom,” I groaned. “Come on!” I wouldn’t have admitted it to anyone, but secretly I was glad. At least this way I’d have an excuse when Steven asked me out again.

If Steven asked me out again.

A horn blared from the front yard, and my mom jumped in surprise. “What the hell was that? Sorry,” She said quickly, covering her mouth.

“It’s David,” I said. “He said he needs to talk to me.”

Mom stared. “Can he come in the house?”

“Let me just go sit in his car for a few minutes, okay?”

Mom stared at me for a long time before nodding. The horn blared again, and she winced. “Just make him stop doing that,” she said. “It’s so rude!”

My heart was in my throat as I ran outside and climbed into the passenger seat of David’s car. I kept staring straight ahead at my parents’ front door as he started rambling about something.

“Elizabeth, you’re not even listening,” David growled.

“Monica’s back,” I said. Finally, I turned to him and stared. “What do you want me to say? She’s acting super weird,” I added. “She’s not talking about what happened, and she grew really angry with me earlier when I told her that I’d been worried.”

David pushed his messy black hair away from his forehead. He was even paler than usual, and there were dark circles under his eyes.

“Something weird happened,” David said. “Some kind of ancient evil.”

“What?” I narrowed my eyes. “What the fuck does that even mean?”

David sighed impatiently. “The ancient evil, in the woods – it abducted Monica, and used her as a vessel for power.”

I swallowed. My heart was thudding in alarm. There was something scary about the fervent, glittering look in David’s eyes.

“That doesn’t make any sense,” I said softly.

David spun around, twisting until he was groping at the floor of the backseat. When he emerged, he was holding a leather-bound book. The covers were moldy, and the pages were falling apart. When David cracked it open, a musty scent filled the air.

“It’s here somewhere,” David said. He fumbled through the pages until he stopped on an illustration. It had been painstakingly done, and I gasped at the intricate image. A woman with blonde hair was hovering over a fire, surrounded by a group of dancing people, all clad in long, black robes. There were symbols painted around them.
“What are those?” I pointed down. “Like astrological symbols? What kind of book is this?”

“They’re witches,” David said. He pointed to the blonde woman. “And that’s Monica.”

“Come on,” I said. I rolled my eyes. “David, you know witches don’t exist. That’s all fake. It’s meant to scare people into behaving. Or at least, it was, like a few hundred years ago.”

David stared at me. “No!” he growled. “That’s Monica. Look closer.”

I sighed. “This is crazy, I’m going–”

David grabbed my wrist. I yelped in pain. “Ouch!”

“Just look,” he said. “Elizabeth, you have to believe me.”

I took a deep breath. “Fine,” I said. David gingerly passed the book to me, and I looked down, studying the image. The blonde woman’s eyes were closed, and she wore a contented smile. She was drawn in remarkable detail, with the same symbols from the outside of the page tattooed on the inside of her forearm, a mole on her shoulder, and one toe missing from her left foot. A chill crawled down my spine. The longer I stared, the weirder I felt – almost like something was changing inside of me. The people dancing around the blonde didn’t have the same serene expressions on their faces. If anything, they looked tortured. Unhappy. Like they’d been forced to perform for a powerful witch.

“It’s her,” David said woodenly. “I know it. I just know.”

“This is a dumb coincidence,” I said. My palms felt cold and damp, and my voice was shaky. “It can’t possibly be her. This book is ancient!”

“It’s from the eighteenth century,” David said. “I found it last night.”

“David…what exactly are you saying?”

David swallowed dramatically. “I’m saying, something bad happened to her while she was gone. Something supernatural. Something paranormal, even.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know!” David said hotly. He grabbed the book from my lap and slammed it shut.

“Well, what do you want me to do?”

“Something happened,” David repeated. “And it’s up to us to figure it out.”

--

I felt numb as I went inside and trudged up the stairs to my room. My mom had disappeared from the kitchen, but I only felt a sense of relief that I wouldn’t have to argue with her over David’s weird behavior. I felt exhausted, almost wrung out. Like I could have gone to sleep for a decade and still needed more rest.

I pushed open the door to my room and gasped. My feet were rooted firmly to the spot, and a shiver inched down my spine.

Monica was sitting lotus-style on my bed. When she saw me, she smiled.

“Hey,” Monica said. “God, you took forever to get home! I feel like I’ve been waiting for hours!” Her cheeks were flushed pink.

“I was just outside,” I said slowly. “How did you get here? I’ve been in the driveway the whole time.”

“Elizabeth, come on,” Monica said. “We both know you’re not exactly the most observant person in the world.”

I stared at her. “But…I just…I just went outside a few minutes ago. I didn’t see you come in,” I added. “What’s up?”

Monica grinned. “You’ve been anxious over Steven and Andrea,” she said softly. She raised an eyebrow. “But I know how you can win Steven – for good.”

My jaw dropped. “What?”

“I know all about what’s going on,” Monica continued. “And I know how you can come out on top.” Her grin turned sinister in the low afternoon light.

I felt myself begin to tremble and shake with fear.

“Come here, Elizabeth,” Monica said. She beckoned me with a slender finger. “Don’t you want to know?”

To be continued….

THE END